Middle East & Asia 2012

Safaga Egypt (Luxor) Day #2

Saturday, November 3rd

This morning will be a VERY EARLY start to our day. We are doing a Hot Air Balloon Ride over the Valley of the Kings. Pick up is scheduled for 4:30AM!

Sunrise over the Nile...WOW!!!!!

After our balloon ride we returned to the hotel for breakfast and to start on Day #2 of this wonderful excursion. First stop will be on the West Bank of the Nile to see the two colossal statues of Amenhotep III (Colossi of Memnon).

Then it will be on to Valley of the KIngs, where the magnificent tombs were discovered. These tombs were carved deep in to the dessert rock, are richly decorated and filled with treasures for the Pharaohs' afterlife. We will have the opportunity to visit some of the tombs. Unfortunately, no photography is allowed in the Valley of the Kings. I have purchased a picture CD of the Valley of the Kings so hopefully I will be able to add some pictures to the blog when I get home.

The day was very hot. Apparently, the temperature is about 10 degrees above average. Our admission included viewing 3 tombs. We visited the tombs of Ramesses III, Ramesses VI and Ramesses IX. These are all tombs of the 20th Dynasty Pharoahs and are amazingly preserved.

After the Valley of the KIngs, weare visiting the Hatshipsut Temple at El Deir El Bahary. The impressive temple was dedicated to the Queen Hatshiput who was the only female pharaoh.

The Hatshipsut Temple from the hot air balloon.

Jodie & Peter, Jim & Marga, Billy & Wilma, Joan and us.....A real good group

After lunch at a local restaurant we started the long drive back to Safaga. We had a very good 2 days...so much to see..it was overwhelming!!! I really think the highlight was the hot air balloon...

Safaga Egypt (Luxor) Day #1

Friday, November 2nd

This morning we embarked on an overnight to Luxor arranged by Jim Strickland thru Your Egypt Tours.

Tour description is as follows:

Day #1

We are picked up at the port of Safaga and left on a two hour drive to Luxor. We started our tour with a visit to the world Famous Karnak Temple, which is the largest place of worship that was ever built. It's ancient name Ipet-isut means "the most sacred of places". The complex of temples was built more than 2,000 years ago by generation after generation of pharaohs. Within the complex, you will find the great "Hypostyle Hall," which is an incredble forest of giant pillars.

Hypostyle Hall

Amazing that the color is preserved for over 2000 years

Lunch stop at a traditional Egyptian restaurant.

Our Guide....Ash

Felucca(traditional Egyptian sailing ship)ride on the Nile to watch the sunset.....Magnificent!!!

Next, we visited the magestic Luxor Temple, which was built by Amenhotep III and RamsesII for rituals and festivals, dedicated to the God Amun.

King Tut and his Queen

We were running late so we went on to the Sound and Light Show at the Karnak Temple before checking in to the hotel for our overnight. Since we toured the Karnak Temple earlier in the day, there really wasn't much new. It was interesting but I probably could have skipped it. It really was pretty basic and not much to photograph. Disney it wasn't!!!

Cruising the Suez Canal

Thursday, November 1st

The Suez Canal, also known by the nickname, "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows transportation by water between Europe and Asia without navigation around Africa. The northern terminus is Port Said and the southern terminus is Port Tawfiq at the city of Suez.

When first built, the canal was 102 miles long and 26 feet deep. After multiple enlargements, the canal is 120 miles long, 79 feet deep and 673 feet wide as of 2010.

The canal is single lane with passing places in the "Ballah By-Pass" and the Great Bitter Lake. It contains no locks and seawater flows freely through the canal. In general, the canal north of Bitter Lake flows north in the winter and south in summer. The current south of the lakes changes with the tide at Suez.

The canal is owned and maintained by the Suez Canal Authority of Egypt. Under international treaty, it may be used "in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag"

We entered the canal at about 1AM...needless to say, I was not awake to record our entry!

The Great Bitter Lake...only area of the canal with 2 way traffic.

Exiting the canal in to the Red Sea at Port Tawfiq at the city of Suez.

In the morning we will arrive in Safaga to start our overnight adventure to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings.

Alexandria Egypt Day #2

Wednesday, October 31st...Happy Halloween!!!!!

Today we were scheduled for a tour of Alexandria. After what we saw of the city yesterday as we left on our tour, we decided to cancel and enjoy a quiet morning.

The city didn't seem to offer much. It was crowded but mainly, it was FILTHY!!! There was litter and garbage everywhere. Not a very appealing sight!

All of these pictures were taken from the ship...looks better than it was!

Pilot boat waving goodbye.....

We are off to transit the Suez Canal. Although our tour yesterday was very interesting, I don't think Egypt will be on my "return" list.

Alexandria Egypt Day#1

Tuesday, October 30th

Today, we have a full day tour to Sakkara, Memphis and Dahshur. I arranged this tour thru Ramses Tours. I had a lot of trouble getting people to join us for this tour as there were concerns regarding safety in Cairo.

The day started very early with a LONG drive in to the Cairo area. We will not actually be going in to Cairo as we have previously been there....done that!!!!

Our last stop is Memphis. Not much remains of the ancient city of Memphis, the capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom. It is thought to have been founded about 3100 BC by King Menes, the ruler who united Upper and Lower Egypt. From historical accounts we know that it was a city of grand palaces and temples, which were all torn down by foreign invaders from the Romans onwards, and the ruins were buried. What remains today is gathered in a small open-air museum, the centerpiece of which is a colossal statue of Ramses II, which lies in its own special viewing pavilion.

The colossus of Ramses II...12.8 meters long of fine quality limestone

The Alabaster Sphinx of Amenhotep 1

Granite statue of Ramses II

We then visited Dahshur. The two pyramids at Dahshur were built by the 4th-Dynasty king Sneferu, father of Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza. The Bent Pyramid, thus known because its sides start steeply, then switch part way to a shallower slope, is considered to be Egypt's first proper pyramid, as before this all pyramids were stepped. The other monument is known as the Red Pyramid due to its ancient red graffiti.

The Red Pyramid

Charlie climbing to the entrance of the Red Pyramid.....I watched!!!!

The Bent Pyramid

Our first stop was Saqqara. One of the richest archaeological sites in Egypt, Saqqara was the royal burial ground for some of the earliest rulers and their courtiers. This is the site of Egypt's prototype pyramid, a stepped structure built for King Djoser. The necropolis remained in use for some 3,000 years throughout the Pharonic era, with additions being made as late as the Greco-Roman period.